A-Leagues to review Manchester City ruling as ownership links draw scrutiny

Australian Professional Leagues chief executive Steve Rosich says the organisation will review the Premier League's findings against Manchester City, according to the Guardian. Speaking at Wednesday's season launch in Sydney, he said Melbourne City, which shares the English club's ownership group, had not been investigated by the A-Leagues.

Rosich said the APL had not yet examined the decision and would consider its findings, while acknowledging that the legal proceedings remained ongoing. His comments announced a review of the English ruling, rather than an investigation into Melbourne City. The Guardian reported that Melbourne City and Simon Pearce had been approached for comment.

Pearce sits on Manchester City's board, is Melbourne City's vice-chair and also serves on the APL board. Both clubs belong to City Football Group, whose network comprises 12 clubs. Asked about reputational concerns arising from those connections, Rosich pointed to the links across the international football economy.

In its separate report on the English case, the Guardian said an independent commission found Manchester City had breached the Premier League's financial rules across nine seasons, from 2009-10 to 2017-18. The findings included a funding arrangement worth £830.6m and another £70m in concealed costs, as well as failures to cooperate with the league's investigation.

The commission found that sponsorship arrangements overstated genuine commercial income because the club's owner funded part of the recorded payments. Other arrangements understated operating expenses. According to the Guardian's account of the decision, those mechanisms distorted the financial position presented to auditors and regulators. The Premier League published a redacted, 40-page core decision after proceedings that included a 42-day hearing ending in December 2024.

Manchester City deny wrongdoing and say they will appeal by Friday's deadline, arguing that the decision contains errors of law, principle and fact. The Guardian reported that the appeal was expected to proceed alongside a sanctions hearing. A final punishment had not been determined in that reporting; the findings should not be read as a confirmed points deduction or relegation.